The Route Out From China

I have a theory that the irritating "historical 9-dash lines" being used by the Chinese to lay claim on almost all of the West Philippine Sea are actually navigational sea routes drawn by early traders and explorers; be they Chinese, Indians, middle-eastern or even Badjaos. The western part of the dash lines indicate the route going out of China and the eastern part of the dash lines indicate the route coming in, to China. Had they been used to lay claims on territories, specifically to lay claim on the whole south China Sea, the ancient Chinese should have used solid lines instead of dash lines. The Route Out from China The western side of this Chinese dash lines thread along the shores and very near Vietnam and mainland Asia coast lines. They were the route taken/sailed by the traders and early Ming dynasty seafarers, circa 1100,  to trade down south with Thailand, Cambodia, Jolo, and the Molucas. From Jolo and the Moluccas, the Chinese traders continue south with the journey, or meet up with traders from India, middle east and the Mediterrenean, that came through from the other side, either thru the coast of Burma or across the Bay of Bengal.  These traders have been trading in Colombo,  the Keralas ( where the first Jewish settlement outside of Israel was established, not far from where Buddhism started. Incidentally, Christianity in Asia also started here in this southern part of India, not in the Philippines, as we always believed. Ancient Jewish cemeteries and early Christian churches still exist in Kerala.), and  up north to the gateway to India, in Bombay. From Bombay, traders from the east, west and north converge. The same trading route established by 1100 a.d., was taken by subsequent Chinese explorers including the famous Adm Cheng He and his fleet of three thousand ships, circa 1400,  to traverse the Indian ocean, the Arabian sea, the Atlantic, reaching the Americas by the equator, then follow the coastlines down Argentina, passing thru the Patagonias leaving the Atlantic, then crossing back the Pacific, sailing & drifting where the headwinds will bring them,  reaching Samar or Surigao/Agusan, and in the ancient port of Butuan, where gold and spices from the Celebes, Molucas and Timor were traded  - effectively, circumnavigating the globe, earlier than any European explorer. Other Theories of the origin of the Westerly Dash Lines. The westerly component of those dashed lines again, could very well be established earlier by the Sri Vijayan or Majapahit empire traders or explorers. My gut feel is that the Indian traders' DNA have more 'travelling or walking salesmans" genes than the stationary shop "sari-sari store" genes that most  Chinese traders have. The Hans, and of course the Mongols, were more of horse riders first, than sea pirates. The whole of south China sea then (and now) were the domains of Badjaos. (But the present-day Badjaos are now more Filipinos than Infonesians.) It is possible too, those westerly component of the imaginary Chinese dashed lines were routes established by middle-eastern traders and early Mohammedans that came through the Malaccas then settled in Jolo,  and with the help of the Badjaos led them to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Batanes,  Formosa, up to Southern parts of China , and even up to Korea and Japan. The Route Returning Back to China. On the other side, the easterly component of those dastardly Chinese dashed lines that encrouched entirely within the 200-mile Philippine exclusive economic zone as lawfully determined thru the UN's Law of the Sea,  were actually,  the return routes taken by the few remaining fleet of Adm Cheng He that survived their voyage during the Ming Dynasty,  that reached South Americas in early 1400. Truth of the matter, these easterly component of the dashed lines, if this is a navigational route, which really looks like it, due to the headwinds, originated from the Pacific: entered and crossed  the Philippine islands, either through Homonhon/Samar/Limasawa areas, same route that Magellan came over, traversed through Leyte, the Bohol Sea, or even the Tubbataha areas, (as evidenced by unearthed remains of several Chinese junks there and several Ming dynasty and Aztec pieces/artifacts), then exiting the Philippine territories to the South China Sea, thru Mindoro (passing Puerto Galera) and Lubang islands.  Coming out of Philippine territories from Mindoro to the south China sea, those stupid dashed lines should then have been drawn starting from there, if their origin really was the route taken by Adm Cheng He's returning fleet. So it is very obvious that those irritating imaginary dashed lines on the eastern side of that Ancient Chinese map were conveniently tampered with and redrawn, to extend to within 80 miles of southern Palawan, that eventually intersect at that southernmost point to complete the loop with the westerly boundary of that dashed line fiction, with the sole purpose of including the Spratlys, the Mischief Reefs, Reed Banks, and all the other rocks,etc., that only the Badjaos knew where they hid them.  Very convenient indeed, in their pea-sized brains! (The routes, places or pit stops I mentioned above, if you are a sailor, or have understanding of sails,and sailing, are the natural route of the wind and ocean wave movement throughout the changing seasons of the spherical Earth.) Well, in the Chinese bureaucrat communitalistic minds, we've been gullible then, we should still be gullible now. They still believe that they can sell us anything, perhaps even the Great Wall of China. And even fry us in our own fat!  Sure they can still fool some, but not all. One thing is clear though, they're running out of tricks up their sleeves. If the present-day Chinese communitalist Politburo can concoct "historical" facts thru dashes, in this day and age, every Bangkaw or Isda, or any 80-year old  juvenile for that matter,  can draw dash lines too that can tell stories of epic Enrilesque historic revisionist proportions. I just did one here, he he:) But I have some truths for you: in any map, in any civilization, both in the ancient times and in the present, ownership of possessions, including all known territories, are drawn with lines, solid lines, bold lines, and not with dashes!  If ink was really expensive in ancient China I would understand. Otherwise, methinks something's really messed up with these Chinese communitalists! Cheers Rceralvo